10 Tips to Finishing the Triangle Choke

The Triangle Choke is a chokehold in which you figure four your legs around your opponents neck and arm stopping the blood to the brain, forcing them to tap. This choke has been shown to be effective all the way up to the highest levels of competition in the UFC. Recently, we watched Joe Lauzon choke out Jamie Varner with a Triangle Choke, winning himself Submission of the Night honors!

Adding the Triangle Choke to your arsenal of weapons from the guard will make your ground game that much more dangerous. This choke ends plenty of fights in BJJ, Grappling, and MMA.

There are plenty of different set ups, chains, and finishes for the Triangle but here are ten tips to help you finish your Triangle Choke from the bottom position.

1) Lock it up with bottom leg- Make sure the bottom leg is going across your opponents neck and the other one is on top. This will prevent any space so your opponent cannot slide out the back.

6) Get out to 90 Degrees- Angle your body so that you’re at a ninety degree angle of your opponent. This will put you in the proper body alignment to apply the choke.

7) Push arm in front of face- Push your opponents arm that’s trapped inside the figure four across the neck to cut off blood flow.

8) Hook the leg or the arm- If your opponent begins to stack you, hook the leg(or arm) opposite of the arm you’re trapping to keep them from escaping.

9) Stomp & Curl- With the leg across the neck, press forward to effectively apply the choke. Curl with your opposite leg to crunch down on the neck and head, further tightening the choke.

10) Count backwards and BREATHE!- An experienced BJJ player will not Tap Out to a Triangle Choke that is squeezed sporadically. You must apply the choke slowly and consistently, getting tighter with each passing second. Think of an Anaconda- like squeeze.

These tips will help you finish the Triangle Choke from the Guard and get the Tap! Until next time, happy rollin!!

P.S. If you’re ever in the San Fernando Valley, come down to 10th Planet Van Nuys and ask Mike “Lobes” Frausto or Milton Arguello about how to finish the Triangle or any of their set ups! These guys have some of the best Triangles I’ve seen! Check em out!